Dance Close To Me
by TekknoNekoRinnie
Summary: What will happen when you introduce Neji, Gaara, Kakashi, Kiba, and Itachi into the world of competitive ballroom dancing? Will they find what they expected, or will they find that something else will bloom while they dance? AU
1. Prologue

Team Konoha

Team Konoha!

--

Rin Kasumi

Nicknames: Rin Brook Elric Kasumi, Germany, Africa, Rin-sensei, Rin-sama, and Peanut Butter

Skin tone: Almost sickly pale.

Age: 16

Hair: Shoulder length, a mix of brunette and strawberry blonde.

Eyes: Blue green

Body type: Slightly skinny, but there's a reason she's called Germany that she would rather not put on here.

Personality: Quite shy but probably the leader in the group of friends. That's why they elected her to guide them when she told them about the Ballroom dancing competition. That and, she's the only one who really knows much about ballroom dancing. She's very nice, almost too nice. She's not plastic, but nevertheless has a soft smile on her face. She can be very strict when the need becomes apparent, and she strives for nothing but utter perfection in every way.

Styles: Tango and Latin

Partner: Neji Hyuuga

--

Neji Hyuuga

Nicknames: Neji-kun, Ne-kun, Ne-chan, Hyu-chan, Hyu-sama, Neji-sensei, and Meanie

Skin tone: Pale

Age: 16

Hair: Long to his waist. Dark Brown.

Eyes: Light lavender.

Body type: Muscular, but thin.

Personality: Straightforward with a lot, but normally quiet. He's very fast and a talented dancer. Considered a genius, and quite handsome. He can be critical and mean at times...so, he's a meanie.

Styles: Tango and Latin

Partner: Rin Kasumi

--

Tsukiko Yasu

Nicknames: Tsuki-san, (Tsuki-onee-san for Rin), Tsukiko-san, Ya-san, Apple-killer

Skin tone: Golden tan.

Age: 16

Hair: Long, past her waist, and silver.

Eyes: Dark brown/black.

Body type: Almost sickly thin.

Personality: She's quite random, and can be blunt about things. She's happy when she is either around her friends or near Gaara. She's not really friendly to people that she doesn't know, but she will be chipper sometimes. She can be a lot of fun when she wants to be...

Styles: Waltz and Samba

Partner: Sabaku no Gaara

--

Sabaku no Gaara

Nicknames: Gaara-kun, Gaa-kun, Gaa-chan, and Mr. Kiwi (to Rin)

Skin tone: Pale, but not too pale.

Age: 16

Hair: Messy, medium-length, Red.

Eyes: Aquamarine.

Body type: Physically fit, and active.

Personality: Quiet, with his homicidal moments. Sometimes you can walk in on him and Tsuki planning on killing someone, but you get used to it after awhile. He can be rude and murderous.

Styles: Waltz and Samba

Partner: Tsukiko Yasu

--

Jewel Vampiress

Nicknames: Jewel-kun, Celery

Skin tone: Fair

Age: 16

Hair: Blonde, about to her middle back.

Eyes: Steely blue.

Body type: Extremely athletic.

Personality: Critical about everything, and if it comes into her mind, it is going to go out of her mouth in one form or another. She is very hot-tempered, and quite passionate. Jewel is also addicted to what the Japanese call "yaoi".

Styles: Quickstep and Foxtrot

Partner: Itachi Uchiha

--

Itachi Uchiha

Nicknames: Itachi-kun, Ita-nii-san, Uchiha-sama, and Ize-sensei, Draco Malfoy (Irony), Watermelon-man (to Rin)

Skin tone: Fair

Age: 19

Hair: About to his middle back, black.

Eyes: Grey.

Body type: Muscular, almost frightening.

Personality: Sinister and conniving, he's slick through all situations and could be compared to a homicidal maniac. But he's nice, and even uses manners. If someone were to meet him on the street, they never would have known that he killed a lot of people...

Styles: Quickstep and Foxtrot

Partner: Jewel Vampiress

--

Hoshiko Silver

Nicknames: Star, Townie, Moon, Hoshi-san, Hoshi-baka

Skin tone: Pale.

Age: 16

Hair: Black, just past her shoulders.

Eyes: Light green.

Body type: Slender.

Personality: Insane, and obsessed with anything that is Greek or Roman. Nice but likes to cuss a lot. Almost every other word she says is a cuss word. Also, she's a few fries short of a happy meal...

Styles: Two Step and Cabaret

Partner: Kiba Inuzuka

--

Kiba Inuzuka

Nicknames: Kiba-kun, Kiba-san, Fang Boy, and Woofie

Skin tone: Light tan.

Age: 16

Hair: Dark brown, short.

Eyes: Brown, sometimes black.

Body type: Thin

Personality: Cocky, arrogant, and most likely to get his butt kicked, he's the one that you go to if you need to be put down or make you feel worse. But he's good guy over all, just don't go to him if you need advice or cheering up...or comfort...or anything.

Styles: Two Step and Cabaret

Partner: Hoshiko Silver

--

Xela Nightroad

Nicknames: Xela-san, Xe-san, and Steak Sauce

Skin tone: Tan.

Age: 16

Hair: About chin-length, dark brown and frizzy.

Eyes: Chocolate Brown.

Body type: Slender.

Personality: Strange, but witty. She will come up with something that makes everyone laugh in about two seconds, but it takes her awhile to fully absorb another thing. She's very nice, very social, and probably the prep of the group.

Styles: Merengue and Cha Cha

Partner: Kakashi Hatake

--

Kakashi Hatake

Nicknames: Kakashi-san, Kakashi-sensei

Skin tone: Pale.

Age: 24

Hair: Spikey, silver.

Eyes: Black, sometimes silver.

Body type: Muscular.

Personality: Sly, cunning, but extremely perverted. The perfect partner for Xe, because she's not any of those things. He's nice, friendly, and also very sweet when he's not being a lecher.

Styles: Merengue and Cha Cha

Partner: Xela Nightroad

--

Rin was standing nervously, and her black pumps were clicking every time that she would switch her weight from one foot, to the other. This was the first official meeting of the Konoha Dance Team, and she was starting to feel the pressure pushing down on her shoulders. She had been chosen as the team's captain, but she thought that it was only because she actually knew a little about dance, not because they thought she was the best or anything. She wore a white blouse, a knee-length black skirt with a slit on the right side, and black leggings that went down to her mid-calf.

"So, when do we plan on starting?" A boy with lavender eyes asked, his long black hair tied in a low, but slick ponytail. He wore a white muscle shirt, and black slacks. His eyes scanned over Rin, then he gave a slight smirk as he leaned on a nearby wall. He could tell that she was shaking.

"As soon as the last two get here, Neji," she mumbled, knowing very well that he was taunting her. Although, it's not as if she could really blame him. When she was shaken up like this, it was much fun to watch her squirm as she worried about meaningless things. He chuckled a little bit, then put a small smirk on his face.

"Good luck, Rin-chan," he commented, with a sly sound in his voice as he walked off, and Rin gave him an annoyed look as she stuck her tongue out at him. Eventually, she fell asleep while standing there, waiting for the last two to arrive. She felt someone poking her on the forehead, and she grumbled a small bit, lightly slapping the hand away. Rin opened her eyes, meeting Xe and Kakashi who looked both surprised that she could stand and sleep at the same time, and guilty that she had to wait that long for them.

"I'm sorry, Rin-sensei, I hadn't meant for us to be so late..." Kakashi started, but she held a hand up, silencing him. She shoved a couple of bags into their hands, and then instructed them change into the clothing that was inside. It was the same as her's and Neji's, just for now at least. She even put a pair of black pumps in for Xela, and a pair of polished black shoes in for Kakashi. Rin walked into the classroom that the teachers were allowing them to practice in, it was spatial and would be perfect for teaching dancers.

Scattered across the room, the other dancers were chatting happily, not minding having to wait a few extra hours for the last two people to show up. Gaara was resting against the wall, his arms were crossed, and he was keeping a keen eye on Tsukiko from across the room. Rin smiled lightly at them, seeing as how they all immediately quieted down when she entered the room.

"The final two dancers have arrived, please wait patiently for them to join us," she said, while looking nervously at those in front of her. It wasn't as if she wasn't used to always speaking in front of others, it was quite the opposite really. What if she wasn't the teacher that she hoped to be? Rin decided that it was best that she took the chance that them who call her friend had given her so graciously. Soon enough, Kakashi and Xela walked through the classroom door, both of them looking slightly nervous.

"Okay everyone, lets start by warming up. Just some simple stretches, before I introduce you to your beginning dance routines," instructed Rin, almost surprising herself as she did so. They just did a few standing stretches, and then went on their way with the next thing. Turning to the sound system that the school had lent her, she flipped through the remixes of some of the songs that she had made. Using one of her friend's computers, she digitally combined and added new track layers to some of the songs. The first song that she was going to use was going to be a combine of "Livin' La Vita Loca" and "Can't Escape My Love", both which are incredible dance numbers.

"All right, starting with a quick Rumba, so everyone, go in front of your partners. This is also going to be a test to see how much we need to work on your skills," Rin stated, while standing in front of Neji. She grinned nervously at him, while he put a hand on her waist. She softly rested her hand on his shoulder, while gently taking his hand in her's. Neji smirked when he saw Rin blush some.

"Please, watch the demonstration and then when I restart the music, try your best to copy what we did, this may improve your visual breakdown and in take of the steps," She continued, while she nodded to Gaara, who clicked on the music with an amused look upon his face.

The first minute of the routine was the easiest, following a simple pattern and only consisting of four turns. Her mind focused on the music, it pulsed through her veins as she started to dance with her partner. The dance steps started to get harder, and she was moving a lot faster than anticipated. She stepped back, in sync with the music, doing a quick turn, then being pulled into her partners arms, in almost a daringly close fashion. She leaned back, giving him a slightly taunting look, while he moved his hand around her leg, spinning her against himself, but not letting her feet leave the ground. He set her back down on the floor, while still moving. She bent backwards a small bit, stepping back once more, letting the music into her heart.

Neji spun once in an almost slick fashion, stopping to grab a hold of Rin's hand so that they could dance together once again. She stepped forward as he stepped back. Shimmying back a slight bit, she clicked her heels on the ground, snapping her neck to one side as she landed the final pose against Neji. His arm was around her middle, while she was slightly panting from the intensity of the music. Their execution was flawless. The others in the room were set in awe, so she was quite sure that they were mentally criticizing her. When she heard someone starting to clap, she immediately let go of Neji, and looked at the person. To her surprise, it was Kiba Inuzuka.

"I'm surprised, Rin. I never expected to see that. I can't wait to get that close to my partner," Kiba smirked, while looking at Hoshiko with a suggestive look. She looked at him like he was utterly and completely insane, then she glanced away from him, and began to fidget some. Rin beamed, relieved that someone was amazed at what she was able to do. The others just stared at her, as if still not believing what they had just seen.

"Uh...Rin-sensei, you never spoke of actually doing this before..." Jewel started off, while looking at Rin with a look that would very well fit the look you give a squirrel if it came up to you and threw nuts at you. Jewel looked to Itachi, who was about as taken aback as she was.

"Okay everyone, lets see what you've got!" Rin laughed, restarting the music as she and Neji began to dance once more, but using a different routine so that no one could simply copy their movements.

Rin glanced around the room as Neji held her tight in a half-spin, while she noticed that the ones who were having the most trouble were the ones who had gotten here late. Although, Tsukiko and Gaara were doing the best. Gaara was even more daring with the dance steps than Neji, if at all possible. Tsuki seemed to be enjoying herself, so Rin was glad that she was able to help. She heard Neji growl in her ear, having been pulled close to him during one of the turns, then spun back out. She stopped, gracefully on one knee just as the music did.

"That was better than I had hoped. Maybe, just maybe, we can get past the preliminaries. Don't think that this means that I will go easy on you, this was just an easy warm up," Rin teased, while everyone looked at her in awe once more. Hadn't she called these beginning dance routines just a moment ago? What in the world would they be dancing if it was harder than what they had just done?


	2. Chapter 1 Try

Hoshiko and Kiba were the first ones that Rin had been testing that night. She just wanted to see if they had the endurance that the others had, or if she was going to have to give them extra training.

"Okay, Hoshi-san, Kiba-kun, please show me what you've got," Rin instructed, while smiling as she clicked the music on once more. They were going to repeat this dance until they simply were unable to do so anymore. The first few minutes simply flied by, the music would end and Rin would start it at the beginning once more. Hoshi was starting to feel the pressure in her legs, knowing very well that she didn't have the muscle to continue for any length of time.

"Come on, keep going! You both have the Cabaret! This is one of the hardest dance styles that I had to assign! I know that you can do this," shouted Rin, who was happy that they were even to keep dancing for this long. Hoshi had noticed that Kiba was starting to pant slightly, seeing as how he was getting tired already.

It was a simple routine, consisting of nothing except a basic front-left pattern for the lead, which was Kiba. A few turns had been thrown in there, but they didn't know that Rin had actually made this routine just for this purpose. The routine was harder than it looked, and it wore whoever was dancing in it out quite fast.

This was the routine that she was going to revamp so that they would be able to do it at the preliminaries here in two weeks. The actual major tournament wasn't going to start until two months from now, but they would have to get past the preliminaries if they wanted to be able to move on that far.

Of course, Rin hadn't told them that they were doing quite well. As the song ended once more, she restarted it, but she noticed that they were lagging behind a small bit. She didn't say anything, but continued to watch them dance.

Neji was in the corner of the room, explaining the dance styles that Rin had assigned to each group, and what they were going to be looking for when they were presented to the judges.

Finally, with a quick snap that Rin knew was the sound of one the heels on a pump breaking, she heard a thud. Hoshiko was on the floor, the heel of her shoe being broken because she wasn't able to continue to keep balance.

"Good, I'm proud that you lasted for six repetitions. We'll need to work on your form, but you did an over all good presentation. I'll give you new pumps tomorrow, Hoshi-san. Just make sure to bandage your feet," Rin stated, while making Hoshi give a confused look, while Kiba helped her up. Hoshi winced, looking down, she noticed that there was a deep cut on her right foot and small sores all over her feet. Kiba, noticing this as well, gently picked Hoshiko up and made his way over to the corner with her in his arms. She winced when he set her back down on the floor though.

"Xe-san and Kakashi-kun, please come over here," Rin said, a little loudly so that they would be able to hear her from across the room. Both of them looked at Rin with a nervous look, but went ahead and walked over to her. Rin pointed at a large board that was placed beside her, showing the dance steps for this particular merengue dance. She demonstrated with Kakashi how it should look, and then smiled at them both.

"I want you both to just try to get the steps right, I don't care if your on beat with the music or not," Rin stated, knowing that it would be easier for them if they could go at their own pace the first time around. Rin clicked on the music, ready to help if they needed her.

They were doing all right, just about a meter and a half behind as they danced. Although, she noticed that Kakashi kept looking down, not at his feet, but to watch Xe as she danced. Rin glared slightly, but didn't say anything, because she didn't want to throw off Xela's concentration. Throughout the whole song, they were only a meter and a half behind, but never were able to catch up to the music all the way. The song ended, and they stopped. They both looked at Rin waiting for what she was going to say.

"First, we'll start with the negative. Kakashi, don't look at your partner's body while you dance. You'll become distracted and won't be able to concentrate fully," Rin started, while Xe looked at him with her eye twitching, slapped him across the face, and then back a couple of feet away from him.

"Ow...I'm sorry," sighed Kakashi, with sincerity in his voice. Xe still looked unsure, but slowly walked back over to him, deciding that it was okay to stand next to him again.

"Now, I'll tell you the positive part of your performance. I was surprised that you were able to keep up with the music so well, but you were still behind a meter and a half. Secondly, I would like to state that this isn't going to be as hard as your real routine, but I want you to be able to do this in case of emergency," commented Rin, who beamed at them both. Kakashi didn't have his mask on, and so it was clear as day how badly that he was blushing. Xela was giggling a small bit, happy that she was able to meet the expectations that were set out before her.

"All I suggest that you do is work on your timing. We'll continue this lesson tomorrow, but before we leave I have to give the others their dance routines. Very well done," Rin complimented, while she waved them off. They walked back over to the corner where Neji was still explaining some things over again, seeing as Hoshiko and Kiba missed it, and how Jewel kept insisting things that didn't even make sense.

"Jewel-san and Ita-nii-san, please come over here," murmured Rin, flipping through some of the diagrams that she was going to have to show them. She decided that picking a quick routine for the foxtrot was the best way that she wanted to test them. She flipped her music to a quick and jazzy song, but didn't start it quite yet.

"Just so you know, I hate you," Itachi mumbled to Rin, who looked up at him with an intrigued look upon her face.

"If you say so, Watermelon-man," she giggled, while noticing him get an extremely annoyed look on his face. Jewel snickered slightly, but coughed to make sure that it was covered up.

She went through the routine, showing them the multiple turns throughout the whole thing. They were surprised to say the least, but both of them were sure that they would be able to go through it. Rin started the music once more, watching them as they gracefully but quick and lightly began to dance to the music. She wanted to see their speed. That was what she knew that the judges were going to be looking for, but she honestly wasn't going to tell them that.

Itachi spun Jewel, she stopped at a perfect moment, but Rin was able to see her jolt when she stopped slightly. Rin softly chuckled, knowing that she was able to feel that. They continued the dance routine, but Jewel was on her guard more. The stops were so fast and sudden, if you weren't used to doing them all the time, that it would cause your legs to start to cramp.

As Itachi started to spin Jewel again, she looked a little unsure once more. She stopped at a perfect moment, but Rin heard her wince as she did so. Itachi obviously heard it, but Jewel continued to dance. All the turns would send small waves of pain and shock through her legs, but she kept going, not wanting to show the weakness.

As the song ended, the last turn was almost too much and she flinched, throwing off her balance, and starting to plummet to the floor. Itachi was able to catch her before she hit the floor, so it didn't hurt as much. Rin clapped, proud that Jewel withstood the pain that must have caused her, seeing as how she wasn't an experienced dancer. She saw that Jewel's legs were locking up on her, and she turned to Itachi.

"Go and get ice, she's going to need it," instructed Rin, who had bent down next to Jewel. Itachi nodded, then ran off to go and get the ice that she requested.

"What the hell did you do to me, Rin-sensei?" Jewel growled, while glaring at Rin. Rin sighed, looking at the girl in front of her.

"I had to give you this routine, because the one that I am planning on giving you and Itachi is going to be harder than that. Foxtrot is very hard on the body, but I figured that you two would be the ones who found it the easiest. Honestly, if I would have given this one to Hoshiko and Kiba, I think that one of them would have snapped a tendon," mumbled Rin, while looking at Jewel's legs, which were now reddening. Itachi ran in through the door, carrying an ice pack that he had found inside of the Nurse's office.

Itachi bent down on the other side of Jewel, placing the ice pack on her legs. He gave her a worried look, and she merely gave him a smirk. Itachi bent down, picked Jewel up, and gently placed her over his shoulder. She mumbled something about being able to walk on her own, but he just continued to walk back over to the corner. He placed her in a chair over there, and she gave an annoyed huff.

Rin sighed, walking over to the sound system again, starting to click through the songs that were on her CD. She finally landed on the slow and smooth song that she wanted to use for Gaara and Tsukiko. She was going to have them practice the Waltz, just to see how well Gaara could show Tsuki off.

"Gaa-kun and Tsuki-onee-san, please come over here," said Rin, smiling at the last two that she was going to have to test. Honestly, right at the moment, they were probably the best ones in the class. She showed them the steps, telling them that she wanted them to dance to this in 3/4 time and that it was going to be slower than the other dancers' music. She did a quick demonstration with Gaara, while she saw Neji glaring at them both pretty harshly.

"I'm going to have you both Waltz, so be ready," she grinned, turning to the CD player and hitting the button. The music was the underscore from 'Lacrymosa' by Evanescence, only because it was absolutely perfect for the dance that Rin had choreographed, and she knew that it would make Tsuki that much more graceful while she danced.

Gaara softly began to spin them both around once, temporarily standing on their toes as they began to softly dance in the studio. Rin was shocked, as was everyone else. They moved perfectly in sync, and Gaara was doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing. He was the frame, and Tsuki was the picture. As they danced, it practically broke your heart.

"Holy shit..." Rin heard Jewel mutter under her breath, while looking at the two of them in utter shock and confusion. Tsuki softly leaned back, as Gaara dipped her, and she gracefully stood back up, before being pulled closer to Gaara in a gentle spin. As the final violin played it's last note, Tsukiko was spun out, and brought back into Gaara in a sweet and gentle embrace, which was quite out of character for them both.

"Oh...my...god...Tsuki-san! You never spoke of this before!" Xela shouted, practically tackling the poor girl to the floor as soon as she got out of Gaara's grip. Rin stood there stunned. Neji walked over to Rin, looking thoroughly pissed. Was it just her, or was Neji slightly competitive toward and jealous of Gaara?

"That was...spectacular! I couldn't find anything wrong in that performance!" Rin said in nothing but complete paralysis.

"It was...okay," Neji growled back, but he didn't seem to thrilled about it. Kiba was practically screaming at Gaara, grabbing a hold of his shoulders, and shaking him fiercely. Itachi and Kakashi were snickering in the background, while Jewel was trying frantically to talk to Tsuki. Jewel was unable to stand up because her legs were still locked up.

"You meanie..." mumbled Rin, who was looking at her feet with a new suspicion. Actually, it was just so that she wouldn't be the subject of Neji's foul mood. All the sudden Hoshiko started to randomly shout things out loud at Tsuki.

"You bitch! You bitch didn't bitch tell bitch me bitch that bitch you bitch could bitch do bitch that, bitch," she stated, cussing every other word. She honestly did that almost all the time. That was her favorite word. Tsuki was looking like she seriously just wanted to be done with it.

"Tsuki wants a cookie, bitch," Tsukiko grumbled, looking at Hoshi with an exasperated facial expression. Hoshiko grinned, turning around and pointed at Rin in a dramatic manner, who, in turn, looked at her as if she were insane.

"We bitch want bitch cookies, bitch," she giggled, while Kiba gave her a high five. Rin mumbled something under her breath, but went over to her backpack, and pulled out a package of cookies that she had made before she left her house. Hoshiko and Tsuki tackled Rin to the ground, stealing the bag of cookies, Hoshi completely ignoring her painful feet.

Rin sighed, smiling as they both devoured the cookies. They still had a lot of work to do, but they were going to get better. She knew that they were. Someone let out a small gasp, while Jewel pointed at the clock accusingly.

"It's 8 o'clock! We've been here since noon! What the--" she started, but decided to drop the fact that she had wasted a whole Saturday ballroom dancing.


	3. Chapter 2 Life

It became apparent to Rin that they were going to need more than just Saturday to train. Sunday was completely out of the picture, seeing as how that was everyone's day of rest. So, they were unable to do anything that was of importance anyway. It was now Monday morning, and Rin was making breakfast trying to get everything ready for school.

"What in the world are you doing up at 4 a.m.?" Xela asked, rubbing her eyes and walking over to the counter that Rin was currently using to cut fresh fruit on.

"Uh...what does it look like? I'm cooking breakfast!" She smiled, turning to add the fruit into a small bowl. She then walked over to the refrigerator and took out a carton of eggs.

"But...school doesn't start until 7:45...and we can sleep in..." Xe started again, but Rin just smirked at her.

"What makes you think that you get to sleep in?" Rin snickered, while grabbing a pan. She set the pan on the stove, cracked the eggs, turned the heat on, and then started to mix the eggs up. She took another pan out, as well as a wooden spoon, and started to repeatedly hit the spoon against the back of the pan. Hoshiko came running from the back of the house, grabbing onto her ears and cursing loudly.

"What the fucking bitch in the name of Hades' hell is going on in this house, bitch?" She screamed, pointing at Rin in an accusing manner. Rin rolled her eyes as Jewel came tumbling down the stairs, grabbing blindly trying to regain her balance.

"What's going on?" She mumbled, finally finding a chair, and sliding onto it, still half asleep. Finally, Tsukiko walked out of her room, looking as wide-awake as Rin. Tsuki and Rin both had sleep disorders, although no one really seemed to know that.

"Okay, first of all, breakfast is ready! Second of all, before and after school, we will be working on your stamina and agility. So, eat up!" Rin said happily, starting to get bowls out for everyone. They were having scrambled eggs, toast, and fresh fruit.

"You're insane...I hate you...but I love you...gah, we need Aaron..." Xela mumbled, grabbing one of the bowls and smacking Rin in the back of the head with it. Rin turned around with an anime crying face, but Xe just rolled her eyes and began to put some food in the bowl.

"No! We don't need Aaron!" Rin shouted, while turning back around, trying to hide herself behind a bowl.

"Right, of course we don't, Rin-sensei," Xela chuckled evilly, while walking back into the living room and turning the television on. The others got their food, and they were all complaining except for Tsukiko.

"Rin-sama, you do know that they are going to kill you by the end of the week," Tsukiko said, a little bit of twisted humor was hidden behind her voice. Rin snickered, and watched as Hoshiko started to cuss at a rerun of SpongeBob SquarePants.

"What do you mean you're ready, bitch?! You're a fucking sponge! You can't be ready! You bastard! What the hell?" Hoshi screamed, while grabbing her hair stressfully. Xe patted her on the shoulder comfortingly, while Jewel laughed slightly, watching as a pink starfish fell off of his house.

"Heh, they're already over it," Tsukiko shook her head, then went to join them. Rin smiled again then walked over with a glass of milk as she too joined them.

(At School)

They had decided to jog to school, being able to do cardio, and work on their endurance if they chose this route. They lived about a mile and a half from the school, so they would need to be able to at least jog to get there in time. Rin told them that they were going to leave at five, in hopes of getting there before school would start. She knew that their endurance wasn't up to snuff, especially considering that they weren't in physical education this semester.

"All right! That was better than I had hoped! It only took us an hour and a half to get here! I'm proud," Rin laughed, watching as Hoshiko would curse at every couple of people who would pass her. Xela looked as if she would pass out, Tsuki just grumbled a little bit, and Jewel would randomly shout out loud about how she couldn't believe they thought that was hard.

"What the fucking hell do you mean that wasn't hard, bastard?" Hoshiko shouted, throwing a snowball at Jewel, who laughed evilly and ducked just in time.

"Hahaha! You're slow, Hoshiko-baka!" Jewel taunted, sticking her tongue out as she dodged more furious snowballs.

"Don't fucking start with me, Celery-bitch!" She roared, sending a few more snowballs at Jewel's face.

"Ya'll are dorks," Xela mumbled, after being hit with an icy cold slush ball. Rin snickered a small bit, while Tsuki was looking around frantically for a certain red head. All the sudden, Hoshiko was tackled to the ground by a flying tan blob, while Jewel was kidnapped by a red and black blob.

"Oh my god, you bitch! What the hell in the bitchy fuck are you doing?" Hoshiko screamed, watching as a certain boy whose name means fang snuggled her.

"Just gettin' closer to my partner, babe," Kiba smirked, while hugging her tightly. She started to yell more profanities, while Jewel came back into view with swirly eyes. Itachi was smirking while walking a few feet in front of her.

Gaara had appeared beside Tsukiko, apparently while the chaos was happening. Kakashi was reading his pervert, make-out paradise book beside Xe, who was looking nervously at him. Neji was grinning as he walked up to the insane scene.

"So, what'd I miss?" He asked, while looking at the snow induced play that was being presented before him.

"Don't even start," muttered Xe, who had moved so that she wouldn't have to be near Kakashi, just in case he started to do...things. He chuckled at a part of his book, which only made Xela that much more scared. Rin mumbled something that was inaudible to everyone, then put on a happy smile.

"Okay! We have about forty-five minutes until class starts, what do we want to do?" She asked, trying to ignore the increasingly smug Neji standing in front of her.

"Kill people," Tsukiko immediately answered, which Rin cheered at, but the others looked at them both like they were homicidal maniacs...well, except for Gaara and Jewel. Rin went into random explaining, which Jewel and Hoshiko decided to take notes on. Tsuki just looked around suspiciously.

"...and so you see, that is why you should not have the police investigate us! We have done nothing wrong," she frantically continued to explain, while everyone was snickering at her. Someone bumped into Hoshiko, which she immediately began to curse at the person for doing such a thing.

"You mother fucker! What in the hell were you fucking looking at anyway, you bastard!" She seethed, while glaring at the person who was standing in front of her.

"Hoshiko Silver," the person started, while everyone gasped some at whom the person was.

This person was known as the "pink bitch", a.k.a. Sakura Haruno. She never had liked the girls all that much, so she found every reason to pick on them. Sure, what she did wasn't terrible, but that doesn't mean that she should be able to get away with it.

"Excuse you! I guess that you just can't make way for those who are higher on the food chain than you. A pity really, you would have been a perfect servant," she answered with a snobby tone in her voice, pushing past Hoshi. Hoshi started to scream curses at her, but no one paid much attention.

"Hm...I wonder who our first teacher will be," Jewel wondered out loud, while the others were looking at her as if she had grown a second head.

"What...?" She muttered, looking at the people in front of her. Hoshi threw one last snowball, in one final attempt to prove that she would be able to hit Jewel. Jewel gasped at the icy cold slush ball, right as it smacked her in the face.

"Take that, you bitch! Never defy Hoshiko-baka, for she will kick your fucking ass," Hoshi laughed evilly, while slipping on a patch of ice, and disappearing into a nearby pile of snow.

"I will save you, my love!" Kiba shouted, diving in after her. Everyone else just stood there, in an awkward silence and in bewilderment.

"Haha, you guys are losers, I can't believe I hang out with you people," another person randomly said, coming up to the group with a huge grin.

"Naru-kun!" Rin and Jewel shouted, glomping the blonde haired, blue eyed boy. Hoshiko ran from the giant pile of snow, gasping for breath, and looking as if she had just seen a ghost.

"You fucking pervert!" She shouted at the now snow covered Kiba. He came out with a bit of a creepy smile, while starting to walk at her in a stalker's pose.

"Gah! Save me, Naru-kun!" Hoshiko screamed, running behind the boy who had only recently gotten himself up off of the ground. He put his arms out, as if to defend Hoshi from Kiba.

"You shall not pass," Naruto stated, imitating a certain gray wizard/white wizard.

"Naruto-kun, you've been watching too much Lord of the Rings," Xela snickered, while starting to finally trust Kakashi again, seeing as how he put his book away. Rin was standing next to Neji, while Itachi started to drag Jewel toward the school.

"Oh my god! Please no! Don't make me go into that horrible place! It kills brain cells! I'll die! Please Ita-kun, don't make me go in there," she begged, while trying frantically to get away from Itachi. He didn't seem very persuaded by her reasoning. Large anime sweat drops were visible on everyone's heads. All of the sudden, Kiba and Naruto burst out into uncontrollable laughter.

"You people are insane. School starts in like...ninety seconds," Naruto laughed, while everyone's eyes started to twitch violently. That's why Itachi was dragging Jewel into the school...

"Fucking run for it, you bitches!" Hoshiko cried, while sprinting into the school with Kiba in tow. Everyone else started to run for it, while Naruto practically fell to the ground laughing at them.

"Yes! Made it with," Xela looked up at the nearby clock, "ten seconds to spare. A new record," she grinned, while taking a seat next to the others, who all looked exasperated. Rin had slipped on a wet floor, Hoshi had slammed into an open locker, Gaara had made the rest of the students move out of their way using his sand, Tsuki threatened to kill them all if they told anyone about the sand, Jewel had tripped over an invisible backpack, Itachi hadn't done anything, Kakashi had snuck more porno books into his classroom (seeing as how he's a teacher), and Xela had screamed about how Sasquatch, or Big Foot, has pants.

"I'm your new art teacher, the name's Zabuza Momochi," the teacher said, in a sly and almost dark voice. A very pretty girl was sitting in a nearby chair at the front of the classroom, her long black hair was loose around her shoulders and her dark brown eyes were glancing around the room. She had a cheerful look on her face. Her light pink shirt had little white bunnies on the front, and she wore light-wash jeans.

"Oh, and this is Haku," he added, while pointing to the girl. Rin started to cough violently, and gasped a few times. That was no girl.

"Wait, _Haku_, Haku! As in Haku from the academy, Haku?!" Rin shouted, pointing at Haku and Zabuza accusingly. Haku laughed at Rin's reaction.

"Yes, I remember you from earlier this year, Rin-chan," he chuckled, while Rin started to pull on her hair with wide eyes. She scrambled to the front of the room, standing in front of the sitting boy.

"But you look so different! I mean, we _were_ forced to wear uniforms and all, but I never thought that this is what you looked like out of uniform and with your hair down!" She cried, while starting to violently shake his shoulders. He only laughed at her a little more, while patting her shoulder telling her to stop. She stopped, just now realizing that she revealed where she had gone during the summer, which was something that she was not supposed to do.

"Rin-sensei, may we know what you're talking about?" Jewel asked, while everyone in the small classroom glared at Rin quite heavily. They were in a private school, although no dress code was presented to them, just nothing that showed off too much skin. Rin started to laugh nervously, while she started to mentally hit herself on the forehead.

"I...sort of went to this academy during the summer...in Kirigakure...and it was...invite only," she slowly explained, while looking around the room. Hoshi was cursing at her from her seat, while Tsukiko had a sly smile on her face, knowing full well that Rin would not tell them that she had gone as well.

"So? What'd ya get in on?" Kiba snickered, while the others nodded in agreement.

"Uh...it was the Kiri no Kurenai Academy...I was trained...to...uh...be a dance teacher...because I am exceptionally skilled...in aerobic means...and...I met Haku-chan there...?" She answered, a little unsure of how they would take it. Gaara and Jewel started to laugh like crazed maniacs, which encouraged the whole class to do so.

"All right, now that you've gotten reacquainted, I'd much like to start the class now," Zabuza grumbled, while making little random sketches on the chalkboard.

"Oh, uh, right!" Rin smiled nervously, while she practically ran to her seat, as if saving herself from being killed by everyone's stares and glares. Hoshi was still cursing under her breath, while Xela looked officially creeped out.

"Fear me! For I am The Goth Ninja of Prep!" A dark haired boy said, smiling in a goofy way as he walked into the classroom. His greenish brown eyes scanned the classroom, as if he was looking for someone.

"Nope, not here," he said, then he turned around and walked out of the classroom without another word. Zabuza looked thoroughly pissed, which was understandable. He had just gotten two interruptions.

"Zabuza-sensei, I'm transferring from Music. The teacher in there is mean," complained a girl with long brown hair, and dark brown eyes. She wore an ebony hoody and wore heavy black eyeliner. She was very pretty, and she looked like she was trying not to laugh at the expression on Zabuza's face.

"Just sit down, Rei-san," grumbled Zabuza, who turned to look at the class with an annoyed look. Rei came and sat down at the back of the group, starting in on a conversation with Hoshiko.

"Okay, if that's over and done with, please, raise your hand if you think that you have artistic ability...any at all," he snickered, watching as Kiba stuck his hand in the air. Jewel was looking back and forth inside of the small group that had gathered, while the rest of us glared at her. She whined a little bit, and then got a straight face on.

"If I raise my hand, Rin and Tsukiko have to as well," she compromised, while both of them sighed. Rin stuck her hand in the air, while Tsuki followed suit, and then Jewel happily stuck her hand in the air.

"I'm here to prove that you don't have any talent whatsoever," he smirked, while all of us looked at him like he was insane. Kiba started to rant on how that wasn't a teacher's job, but then got himself confused, and he started to blab on about how, at least, he thought that it was a teacher's job to teach. But he wasn't sure.

"Just kidding, god, you people don't know how to take a joke, do you?" Zabuza rubbed his temples, and then started to draw a hand on the chalkboard. For a sketch, it was really good.

"Draw hands. It makes your depth perception better. Then, draw a ball, and shade it according to an upper right-hand corner light," he instructed, while going to sit at his desk. Everyone just kind of sat there.

"Oh right, I'm supposed to give you paper," he sighed, then handed out computer paper because it was the easiest thing to sketch on.

"Zabuza-sensei...I don't know how to use a pencil," Rei mumbled, while poking the little yellow piece of wood. Zabuza looked at her. He knew that she was just trying to mess with him.

Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka were sitting the back of class, along with Sasuke Uchiha. The two girls were looking at one another, while Sasuke was glaring slightly at the front of the classroom.

"If that Rin chick is a dance teacher, doesn't that mean that she has to have students? And we are on yearbook after all...we could easily make it so that their partners will ditch them, especially when their partner's friends find out," Ino smirked, while Sakura grinned maliciously in response. Sasuke had frozen slightly, but then turned around to stare intently at the two of them.

"If it has anything with getting back at Itachi, I'm in," he mumbled, while turning to the girls and sneering ever so slightly.

(After School)

"Okay people, time to jog to the Middle School, then back here. We can't start training until then," Rin grinned, seeing as how the other nine of them looked at her slightly taken aback.

"Why?" Gaara said with a straight face.

"Because, whoever gets back first, I will give fifty bucks," chuckled Rin, who noticed that everyone was looking at her disbelievingly.


	4. Chapter 3 Choices

"You're kidding, right? You're not really going to give whoever gets back first fifty bucks, are you?" Xela asked while she was blinking in confusion.

"Oh no, I'm serious. That's why I am going to start the timer, right...now," Rin announced while she looked down to her wrist, and then hit a button on her watch and began to run at half-pace toward their Middle School. Everyone looked at one another as if they were unsure, but then followed Rin's suit. When the person in the lead would catch up with her, Rin would start to jog just that much more faster.

"You people are slow. I'm leaving," she said while turning around just enough to stick her tongue out at everyone, and then took off at a sprint toward the school.

"You bitch! You can't fucking leave me here alone with these fags!" Hoshiko called after Rin, who by that time was long gone. Gaara and Tsuki exchanged silent glances, but then they both sped up to as fast as they were able to go without running out of energy very quickly. The Middle School was about a mile away from the High School, so Rin was hoping that they were going to be able to get back before they needed to start practice. They were going to have a small building that was a dance studio be in their possession soon enough, but for now it was still the school gym.

"You're such a brat when it comes to this," muttered Neji as he jogged up beside Rin with an evil smirk plastered across his face. Rin looked over to him with an annoyed look as she stuck her tongue out at him.

"If you keep doing that to me, I'm going to have to bite it," Neji sneered at her. She yelped and her face turned bright red. She looked away, completely avoiding eye contact with him, and also losing her concentration. Being the klutz that she is, she tripped over a ladybug and then fell into a nearby ditch. Neji choked slightly, while he began to both laugh mockingly and look worriedly into the ditch. Rin just laid there all the while staring at the sky.

"Rin-san...?" He asked while he stood over the steep ditch.

"Shut up. My butt hurts, leave me alone you meanie," she whined as she glared up at him. He just kind of looked at her with a smug, but confused, look. At this moment in time, Hoshiko ran past all the while laughing evilly.

"HAHAHAHA DIE BITCHES!!! I'M GOING TO WIN THAT FUCKING FIFTY DOLLARS!!!! HOT TOPIC, HERE I COME!!!" She screamed as she dashed past, all the while continuing to cackle to no one in particular. Maybe she was talking to one of her invisible friends. Maybe she wasn't ready to get out of that huggy-jacket and out of that padded room yet... Kiba came not that long after while crying for her to wait for him.

"MY LOVE, WAIT FOR ME!!!" He panted while trying to keep up with Hoshi. It was strange really, to see Hoshiko actually running...or moving for that matter. Neji mumbled something under his breath about how Rin forced him to be friends with the idiots of the school.

"Hey, I'm offended by that..." she murmured to him while finally deciding to get up from the ditch.

"Do you need help?"

"NO, STAY AWAY FROM ME!!" Rin shouted as she took off running as fast as she can and as frantically as she could. Neji stood there for a moment before completely taking in what she just screamed at him. He tried to ignore what she said and then began to run so that he could catch up with her, but she was extremely scared and was running away quite quickly.

Gaara and Tsuki were still jogging at the same pace, and they were right in the middle. Itachi would randomly appear somewhere and then he would disappear again. Jewel was following right after Kiba and Hoshiko. Kakashi and Xe were at the back of the pack because Xe didn't want to work even though it _was_ for fifty dollars. Kakashi didn't want to leave her all alone...or so he claimed.

"I know you can run faster than that. I know you can. Don't even start with me," Xe accused as she pointed at him.

"No I can't."

"Yes you can! Don't lie to me Kakashi Hatake!!!" She continued to shout at him and she chose this moment in time to point at Kakashi dramatically.

"You're point...?"

"I hate you," muttered Xe. Kakashi started to chuckle in an almost evil way, than reached into his little mini-back pack like thing and pulled out the 'icha icha paradise' book.

"OH MY GOD, NO!!! YOU PERVERT!!! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" She shouted as she began to run back the other way, back toward the High School. Kakashi was laughing maniacally right now, and then began to chase her back.

(Once Everyone Has Finished)

"Well, that was pathetic..." Gaara said as he stared at Hoshiko, who passed out because of fatigue. Kiba had become dehydrated and so he wasn't able to run anymore either...Itachi didn't even break a sweat...Jewel was extremely hyper and asking people how they could be tired and how that it wasn't even possible. Tsuki and Gaara had been the first ones back, and they came back hand in hand so technically they both won. Neji had a moderate competition where he had tried to get back before Gaara. Somehow, Neji was jealous of Gaara for some reason, but what he was jealous of no one was really sure what it was.

"I guess that you both get the money," Rin smiled as she handed the money over to them both. Gaara stared at the few bills that were in his hand, but then he turned a light pink. He looked away from where Tsuki was standing, and then slowly moved his hand over near her.

"Here," he mumbled. Tsuki stood there for a moment, just kind of staring at him.

"Gaara-chan..." Tsukiko whispered softly before she gently reached out and then took the money from his hand. Once the money was out of his hand, he shoved his hand into his pocket and stared at the ground while he was still blushing.

Out of nowhere, Xela came running back looking tired and worn out. Kakashi came back with a huge grin on his face, which somehow made Hoshiko wake up from her so called 'coma'.

"KAKASHI, YOU BASTARD!!! WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO, XE??? I TOLD YOU, NO RAPING XE!!" Hoshi screamed while she began to strangle her teacher.

"EWW!! You nastie! He didn't do anything to me!!" Xe shouted while she fell to the floor and began to walk back and forth. Hoshi grabbed a hold of Kakashi by the collar and began to scream random profanities in his face...and calling him a cheapskate and a liar. No one was really sure why she was doing that of all things though.

"Uh...can we just get to the part where we dance...?" Xe asked. Everyone muttered their agreements while Rin just kinda pouted some. It was fun to watch them attack one another...

"Okay, fine. We'll go into the gym and practice the routines that we did last time. Come on everyone, into the school," mumbled Rin as she began to walk back toward the High School. Hoshiko reluctantly let go of Kakashi and pursued after Rin.

Once that they got into the gym, Rin walked over and took out the stereo system so that she would be able to put their music on while they danced. She had decided that it would be best if she went in reverse order so that the rest of them wouldn't feel like she was pinpointing them or anything.

So, like before, Gaara and Tsuki went up there and began to dance the perfect routine. It was so spectacular! Tsuki was so beautiful and Gaara was doing everything in his power to show her beauty off. It was just perfect. Rin began to sob almost pitifully because it made her want to cry just that much. Neji was glaring at Gaara, while he had started to comfort Rin but she just told him to stop acting nice to her and to stay away.

Tsuki and Gaara came back together in that final spin an stayed there until the music was completely over. Hoshi kept muttering under her breath about how she was going to die because Tsuki was way better than her. Kiba mumbled to her that they would improve and how Rin had said that they did well last time.

"Tsuki-san!!" Xela screamed once more and then glomped the poor girl to the floor again. Gaara stood there while looking nervously down at Tsuki, who couldn't make up her mind if she was pissed or not. Tsuki had been in a bad mood lately, but some of the recent events had made her a little happier. Surely if the events before hadn't made her happy, she most likely would have killed someone or something. Kakashi ripped Xe off of Tsuki before Tsuki got to murderous. Gaara helped Tsuki up, and then they both walked over to the bleachers and sat down, glaring at everyone.

Rin toggled through the tracks on the CD, before she got to the jazzy song that she was using for Itachi and Jewel when they danced. Jewel mumbled something and Itachi looked a little dazed. Kiba was sitting up at the top of the bleachers, looking at his cell phone intensely. He had looked up the word 'foxtrot' so that he would get a better perspective of what it was exactly. His eye began to randomly twitch and he looked up at Itachi and Jewel, and then back down at his phone. He repeated this quite a number of times, before he just simply put his phone away and mumbled about how it was the 'dance of love'.

Again, Jewel was having to go through the same spins and it was starting to become a problem to her. It was kind of obvious to anyone who was an experienced dancer, so that just meant that Rin and Neji were the ones who could honestly tell that she was in pain. But it seemed that Jewel was getting used to it. It would take a lot more practice before she was completely used to the movements though. Itachi was starting to hesitate with the movements, since he now knew that it was causing her pain.

"Itachi-kun, don't hesitate! She has to get used to it!!" Neji shouted, which kind of surprised everyone. He turned around and looked fiercely at everyone. He murmured for everyone to shut up and then began to watch Itachi and Jewel dance once more. Rin was standing there, glowing in pride because she was so proud of her friends/students. As Itachi and Jewel came to the end of their song, they did their final spin. Jewel was able to make it to the end this time, but she immediately sat down and just sort of stared at the floor. She was blinking in confusion. Itachi was looking down at her with a worried expression as Rin and Neji ran over to make sure that she was okay.

"I can't feel my legs..." She said as she stared down at her legs in shock. Neji and Rin cast worried glances to one another, but then Rin ordered Itachi to go ahead and bring Jewel back over to the bleachers. Itachi wasn't all that happy about having to obey Rin, but he didn't want anything bad to happen to Jewel, so he obliged to her orders.

Jewel kept muttering curses under her breath and then would randomly shout, "DAMN!!" for no particular reason. Itachi couldn't help but smirk at her for her antics.

"Okay, c'mon Kakashi-sensei and Xe-san. Time for you all to go," cheered Rin with a happy face. Kakashi mumbled something about not feeling like it anymore, but Xe pulled him over to the middle of the gym and got in position for the merengue. Rin clicked the music on once more, while smiling as she noticed that Kakashi was trying his hardest not to look down at Xe's body. When Kakashi gave her a quick twist, Xela smiled and Rin could tell that they were truly having fun with the dance that they were doing.

Although, this time as they danced they were only about a meter behind the music, so any normal person wouldn't really be able to notice their small lagging in timing. Rin couldn't hardly wait to be able to change parts of their routine so that it would wow the judges more. But she still needed to work on their timing. It ended with a salsa-like twist and then Xela grinned at Kakashi.

Kakashi stood there in a slight daze, before he leaned down and kissed Xe directly on the lips. Xe was shocked, so was Kakashi because he really didn't realize what he was doing, the guys were cat-calling (except for Gaara), and the girls were pointing and laughing maniacally. Kakashi was wearing his mask, so it wasn't exactly contact, but it was still a kiss none the less. As soon as he got his senses back, Kakashi pulled away from Xe and then looked around the gym nervously before he went running out the nearest door. Xe didn't say anything, but her eyes were hazy and she took a seat on the bleachers.

"Uh...and before we go into an awkward silence, HOSHIKO AND KIBA-KUN, PLEASE COME UP!!!" Rin shouted frantically, while waving the two of them over to the middle of the gym. Kiba had been sitting at the top of the bleachers, so he walked down while looking around suspiciously for no reason. Hoshiko had been sitting up there too, but a good distance away from Kiba, so she recklessly and clumsily fell down the stairs.

"I swear that I'm o-fucking-kay," she grumbled as she walked over to Kiba, who was standing there looking a little lost without Hoshi with him. Rin had bought Hoshi a new pair of black pumps so that she wouldn't have to dance on bad heels.

It was about like last time, but they were able to last six and a half repetitions before Hoshiko nearly passed out again. Kiba had took this as a perfect point to try to coax her into something, so he bent down so that he would be able to whisper directly into her ear.

"Hoshiko-chan...if I said you had a nice body, would you hold it against me?"

Hoshi blinked a few times before it registered in her mind what he had just asked her.

"WHAT THE FUCKING HELL??? YOU BASTARD, HOW DARE YOU ASK ME THAT DAMN QUESTION!!! DAMMIT, STOP TRYING TO FLIRT WITH ME!!! I ALREADY LOVE YOU, YOU BITCH!!!!" She shouts out randomly, seeing as how no one else really was able to hear what he said to her. Everyone looked at her oddly, because she didn't notice what she just screamed.

"Oh...shit," she twitched violently, and then ran out as fast as she possibly could with tears falling from her face. Rin began to follow her out, but surprisingly Neji was the one to stop her.

"Let them take care of it, Kakashi-sensei told me that he needed to talk to you," Neji protested as he put a hand on her shoulder. She completely forgot that she was wigged out by him, and nodded as she went out a different door that followed the direction Kakashi had went. Jewel, Tsuki, and Xe had went to follow Hoshiko, while the guys just sat there not really sure what they were supposed to do.

(With Hoshiko)

"Fuck it, I screwed up big time," she cried as she sat inside of one of the girl's lavatories. She looked up into the mirror, and saw a black haired girl with streams of tears running down her face. Taking a pocket knife from the small bag she carried around, she lightly cut her wrist in one direction and watched as the crimson liquid started to fall from her wrist in little drops. She muttered a few curses under her breath and turned the water on so that the blood would immediately rush down the pipes.

"Hoshiko-san!! What are you doing?" She heard Xela say from behind her, which made her spin around and look at the three girls standing behind her in shock.

(With Kakashi and Rin)

"Y'know, it's not really hiding if you go somewhere everyone will expect you to be," called Rin as she walked into Kakashi's class room. He was sitting at the front of the class, playing with a little black box that he had taken out of his pocket.

"I needed you to find me," he uttered while he walked over to her with an anxious look upon his face.

"Rin-sama, I have to ask you to help me with something," he continued as he showed Rin the little black box that was made of velvet. She tilted her head to one side in slight confusion.

"Of course, Kakashi-sensei, anything," answered Rin. He looked back behind her, staring at the door to make sure that no one was going to walk through it at any one point.

"Um...well...you see...I wanted to ask Xe-san...to uh..._marry me..._but I really don't know..._how_," he mumbled under his breath, and it was plain to see that he was blushing madly even if he was wearing a mask.

"REALLY??" Rin squealed while she practically tackle-hugged the poor Social Studies teacher.

"Yeah..."

"Well then, we'll just see what we can do," she beamed while tacking the little box and opening it to stare at what he had bought her. Rin didn't care if there was an eight year difference in Xe and Kakashi's age, all that matters was if they were in love or not. Besides, it was obvious that Xela's mom wouldn't really care if she got married now or not. It was just going to depend on whether Xe would accept or decline his proposal. She was going to have to do some investigating...


	5. Chapter 4 Snow!

"Nyeh, Hoshiko. This is going to be my motivational speech! That _and_ I'm taking your razor from you, so you can't do this to yourself and us again. Don't you see that you could die if you kept doing this to yourself? We love you too much to allow you to hurt yourself in any way! What would Rin-sensei think? She would most likely burst into tears and blame herself, because she always does! She always seems to find a way to make it her fault! So come on, you can't just kill yourself...besides, you just admitted that you love Kiba!" Xela continued to rant like this for about fifteen minutes while Tsuki was wrapping Hoshi's wrists with gauze. Jewel was sitting in the background pouting because she had tried to help, but it had gone wrong like all the other times that she has tried to help heal someone.

(Flashback)

"Here, let me heal you!" Jewel said happily as she stalked over and touched Hoshiko's arm just barely. Hoshi let out a scream of pain plus a couple of curses that needn't be mentioned, and a large burn mark magically appeared on Hoshi's arm.

"Holy...fuck..." Hoshiko stared at the burn mark in disbelief and Jewel was frantically trying to explain that it wasn't her fault this time and she didn't mean to do that, it just always happens. Tsuki sighed and walked over, starting to bandage Hoshi's arm as she gave Jewel a disapproving look.

(End Flashback)

"And that's why Sasquatch wears pants," concluded Xe, although everyone hadn't really been listening to her rant for the past ten minutes...which means they had only been listening for the first five. Xe sighed with exasperation, but then gave a huge yet creepy smile.

"Do it again Hoshi, and we will have to take extreme action," she whispered in a creepy voice that sounds like something off of a horror movie or "the ring". Yes, she sounded exactly like the little girl off of the ring.

"Mwhahaha! Yes, that is what I shall do! I shall have a party tonight at my house and we shall watch scary movies all night!! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Xe randomly shouted. She flung out her arms and maintained her maniacal laughter, even so much as to fall to the floor on her knees with her arms flung out into the air as she laughed evilly. Then Jewel, who was trying her hardest to look innocent, walked over to Xe and pushed on her forehead, causing her to fall backwards in one fluid motion. No one spoke, and the crazy laughter began to echo down the halls and throughout the school. A period of awkward silence that lasted for a whole five seconds began, but then immediately stopped when Tsuki spoke.

"I feel like tacos. Yosh."

"Me too."

"Me three."

"Me taco," Xe shouted happily as she sat back up but everyone looked at her strangely. "What? Taco is _so_ the next four."

(With The Guys)

"So...anybody here like olives...? They're so awesome...oh, but I _hate_ peas...they're going to take over the world one day with their giant snails and marshmallows," Kiba randomly shouted while he beamed at the other three who were in there. The others just kind of glared at him, and then turned around avoiding eye contact with poor Kiba.

"Maybe if we ignore him, he'll leave us alone," Neji muttered as he sauntered over to a different section of the bleachers.

"Oh come on, Neji! You know that you like it! Talk to me! I'm desperate!" Kiba hysterically cried as he put a hand in the space above his head dramatically. Itachi sat on the bleachers glaring at the nearby wall, before moving away from Kiba too and sitting near Neji, who had acted like he hadn't heard what Kiba had said.

"...Gaara?" Without a word, Gaara stood up and punched him in the face, and then walked off. He was going to find Tsuki, because the other guys were dumbshits. Kiba fell backwards into the steps of the bleachers, and just rested there while staring at the ceiling, pondering. Neji and Itachi were whispering between one another about ways that they were planning on ruling the world, but they made sure that Kiba was unable to hear who was on their hit lists.

"Uh...can I ask a favor from one of you guys?" Kiba mumbled a little loudly, so that the two who were sitting across the gym would be able to hear him.

"Dare I ask what?" Neji shot back. Itachi and Neji were glaring daggers over to Kiba as he lifted his head up so that he could look at them both.

"Can...one of you...act like Hoshiko...so that I can...uh...you know...apologize or something?" He murmured as he sat completely up. Neji and Itachi looked at one another for a moment, and then looked back over to Kiba.

"Fine, but only under two conditions. One: You'll never mention it to anyone ever, no matter what. Two: Gaara gets to punch you again, in the face." Neji smirked as he saw Kiba's features become slightly crestfallen, but then he obliged to the criteria that was set. Itachi was going to be the so called 'coach' of the scene, while Neji acted like Hoshi.

(With Rin and Kakashi)

"Okay, so have you thought about a time or place to ask her yet?" Rin asked happily as she ran over to his desk and began to frantically search through his things for a pencil and a piece of paper.

"Uh--"

"You know what, we'll talk about it later! We have to go back to the others before they end up killing one another, yosh," cheered Rin. She grabbed her teacher by the back of the collar and started to drag him back to the gym where everyone was supposed to be waiting. On their way there, they passed by a girl's lavatory and Rin noticed that it looked like Jewel had been there recently...there was a scorch mark on the wall.

"Rin-sama? Is that you?" Rin heard Jewel call from farther down the hallway, with a pack of tacos from taco bell in her hands.

"Uh...do I want to know?"

"TACO!!!" Xe shouted while starting to laugh maniacally once more, and then ran into a wall while trying to make a dynamic escape. Everyone just kind of stood there in an awkward silence, and Kakashi hurriedly went over and helped her up. Rin was about to make a retort of some sort, but then she remembered that no one else knew about the soon-to-be engagement.

"Where's Tsuki-onee-san?" Rin wondered aloud as she stared at Jewel awaiting an answer.

"Actually...she just kind of disappeared when Gaara showed up," she grumbled. Rin looked a little confused, and then nodded and began to walk off.

"I am here, Rin-sama," Tsukiko appeared next to Rin along with Gaara. Rin blinked in confusion for a moment but then smiled at Tsuki and Gaara. Jewel showed their precious tacos to everyone, and then they entered the gym. Itachi had a bored look on his face, but his eyes seemed extremely amused by something. Neji and Kiba were standing in the middle, Kiba had a huge blush across his face and he was stuttering a few words while Neji wasn't looking too enthusiastic about whatever was going on.

"Ne-kun? Kiba-kun? Ita-nii-san?" Rin called after she had stood there for a moment or two. Itachi turned to Rin, immediately hiding the amusement in his eyes.

"Rin-san," Itachi acknowledged. She smiled at him as she heard Jewel shouting about how she brought tacos and if anyone wanted any, they better get there quick. Rin walked over to where Itachi was standing, which was only a couple of feet from Neji and Kiba, who were now walking over to Jewel and the others.

"Uh...Ita-nii-san...what was going on?" Rin questioned with a small smile.

"You _don't_ wanna know."

"So that means that you're not going to tell me."

"Exactly."

"Darn you, Watermelon-man," Rin cried out in thespian drama. Xe mumbled something about how Rin needed to stop calling people by their weird pet names.

"Hey, I control your fate, Robin. Don't even start with me," Rin grinned as she strolled over to the people who seemed to be devouring the tacos. Xe squeaked and then fell silent, but that lasted for all but two seconds and she was talking about coffee in a hyper, sugar high-like mood. Hoshiko immediately joined her, while screaming about it was 'her coffee, bitch'.

"Oh hey, you all are invited to my house for a party tonight. Along with Rei-san (aka Tenshi) and most likely Neko-san. YES, BELIEVE IT!!" Xela shouted while grinning like a fool. Rin and Jewel cheered in a polite and British manner as Tsuki and Gaara looked around in a slightly murderous way.

(Later That Night)

"WE'RE ORDERING PIZZA!! HIZZAH!!!" Jewel screamed as she fell down the two flights of stairs that one must go down to get back down to the first floor of Xe's mansion-like house.

"I'M OKAY, REALLY, I AM!!" She immediately said as she jumped back up, running over to the phone but fell on the slippery floor. She shrieked in surprise, and then slid under the nearby table. Hoshiko and Xe were looking at her strangely as they, too, hiked down the double flight of stairs but _without_ tripping.

"Is everyone okay down there?" Rin called down the steps with a few random people behind her.

"Uh...no, but yes," Xela nodded as she turned to stare at Rin, who was starting to be drug off by Kiba and Rei because she had to be the 'judge' of something that she didn't even know of until they had elected her. Everyone was seated in a circle, and then there was a couple cases of what looked like beer there.

"Wait a minute, WHAT ARE YOU ALL PLANNING??" Rin accused while she pointed a finger at everyone with a misbelieving look on her face. In the background Rin heard that they had went through her CDs and had put Avril Lavigne's new CD in. Just because it cussed a lot and since the whole thing was about breakups and a few love songs that didn't _sound_ like love songs.

"Uh...well, it's not what it looks like. Hoshiko got these off of her dad, and she said that she wouldn't forgive Kiba's insensitiveness unless he was able to beat her in a drinking contest...so yeah, you're the judge," Rei grinned, although you could tell that she wasn't all that thrilled about it in the first place.

"I am going to report you all to the police," Rin said with a blank stare, but then sat down next to where Hoshi and Kiba were facing one another in the middle of the circle. Everyone else grabbed a case of beer for each of them, and then set them down in front of each of the two.

"Ready, Steady...Go!" Rin rooted as she tried to smile a little, but on the inside she wasn't so sure if this was a good idea. It was going to be hell trying to get them up tomorrow morning when they had to go back to school. It was already about eight...

So it had been about fifteen minutes and both of them were completely intoxicated. Rin had decided that it was better if they didn't drink anymore, just to minimize the next-morning hangover. She had called Kiba the winner, even though they had both drank their fill. She just wanted to make sure that Hoshiko forgave him. It's not like she was going to remember this _afterward_ anyway.

They put them downstairs in the basement, where everyone was supposed to be sleeping in sometime. No one really knew when that was going to happen though. Everyone went back upstairs and there was a little bit of commotion coming from the first floor again.

"PIZZA!! IT WILL MAKE YOU EAT ON IT!!!" Jewel hollered as she carried four boxes of pizza up the stairs to the attic where everyone was currently sitting, excluding Hoshiko and Kiba of course.

"Oh, oh, oh! Did you get ramen flavored pizza?" Rin inquired with wide eyes as she walked over and took two of the boxes of pizza.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?" She beamed as they carried the pizzas the rest of the way into the attic. Itachi was sitting in a dark corner on a chair while his Sharingan eyes were glowing quite brilliantly. Tsuki was pointing at another dark corner and hiding behind Gaara who in turn was glaring at the corner. Very faintly, a person would be able to see the outline of someone standing there.

"Nyeh, he's staring at me!" Tsuki complained softly. Gaara reached out a hand, and suddenly sand appeared in it as he was about to kill whatever was over there in the corner. The thing did not look threatened one bit. When Rin walked in and saw this, she gasped loudly and then shoved the pizzas in Neji's arms, who began to protest, but Rin was going to stand in front of the thing.

"NO!! Don't kill him! He didn't do anything! He's just looks creepy!! I swear that he didn't mean to scare you, Tsuki-onee-san! He just doesn't feel comfortable letting me stay anywhere out of sight of him!" Rin exclaimed as she looked behind her with worry to make sure that he was okay. He just stood there glowering, not wanting to be able to be seen. So, he stalked out of the corner and was no longer visible to anyone but Rin and he could be sensed by Rei and Tsuki.

"Who was that?"

"Uh...his name is Raiden."

"But he's invisible..." Neko muttered while she took a bite of ramen flavored pizza.

"Yeah...no one can see him 'cept me," laughed Rin nervously. Everyone looked at Rin suspiciously, but then went back to eating pizza and rocking to Avril Lavigne...since that's _so_ easy to do.

"Hey everybody, what's a mass genocide?" Rei asked since she had started to read some random journal that she found laying on the floor...which just so happened to be Tsuki's. Tsuki began to laugh in a mental way, like she was planning something. Gaara put on this creepy smile and his face portrayed what one would call blood lust.

(Next Day 4 a.m.)

"COME ON PEOPLE, TIME FOR BREAKFAST!!" Rin squealed as she ran through the entirety of the attic, hitting people randomly with a pillow and a spatula. Because that's Rin's weapon of choice, a spatula.

"Oh my god!! Where's the fire?!" Jewel shouted still half asleep, but tumbled down the stairs anyway. Eventually, after much blood, sweat, and tears, Rin was finally able to convince everyone to go and eat breakfast. When she got down there, Hoshiko was sitting at the table and gawking at the ceiling in a very spaced out way. Kiba was sitting on the other side of the counter-table and had his face pressed against the counter. His arms were wrapped around his head and he was mumbling to himself.

"Hangover much?" Neko complimented cheerfully. Kiba grumbled a muffled response and it took Hoshi a moment or two to realize that anyone was in the same room as her.

"Shut the fuck up, bitch, I'm the closest to hell right now," she hissed and then stuck her nose the air stubbornly. Rin grinned at her, but then walked over and grabbed a what looked to be a huge stack of pancakes. Rin gave everyone about three, and then turned back around and poured out various glasses of orange juice, milk, and water. But she grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the fridge and poured a shot for Hoshi and Kiba to drink with their breakfast.

"It helps with the hangover," she smiled brightly as she handed them the drinks. They looked at her strangely, but nodded and just drank it without questioning her as to how she knows this.

So, after they ate and watched a bit of Digimon (Rin had told them it represents good relationships between people who really hate one another) they set out from the house to walk all the way to school. Xe actually lived close to the school than where everyone lived...it was strange really...she had a huge mansion, yet they lived in a small two-story apartment. Why didn't they just move into there?

When they got to school, it was snowing pretty heavily and they noticed a big sign on the front door: 'NO SCHOOL FOR REST OF WEEK, BLIZZARD WARNING IN EFFECT'. Everyone stood there for a moment in shock, while they had growing anime sweat drops. Except for Hoshiko and Kiba...they had anime veins.

"Uh...now what are we supposed to do...? We already have six inches of snow, and there's no way that we're going to be able to get to school..." Neji mumbled as he looked around and noticed that the snow flakes were about two or three inches in size.

"We'll go back to Xe's mansion, and practice all day!" Rin cheered as a few other people cheered as well, but she heard some hissing and groans coming from a couple of people. Hoshiko began to huff off in annoyance, but she slipped on a patch of ice that had been uncovered earlier and then she slid all the way down the down sloped street.

"HOSHIKO-BAKA!!" Jewel, Xe, Rei, and Neko all shouted while chasing after her. Everyone else just hit their foreheads, except for Itachi.

He was muttering, "Foolish little baka, why are you such an apple?"

"...What...?"

"I don't know...really I don't."

"Whatever you say, Watermelon-man."

"Exactly, whatever I say."

"What...?"

"Shuttop."

"But all I said was what!"

"..."

"AND NOW YOUR REFUSING TO TALK TO ME, ITACHI-NII-SAN!!!"

"No I'm not."

"But you were!!"

"No I wasn't. I chose simply not to reply to that comment of yours."

"...meanie," Rin pouted slightly as she sat down in the snow. Tsuki sat down next to her with a happy face and Gaara sat down too, only he was looking around suspiciously. Neji, Itachi, and Kakashi all just stood there, not really sure what they were supposed to do now.

"Anybody wanna make a snowman?" Rin suggested releasing a sigh.

"Whatever," Neji mumbled as he walked into the deeper snow. It seemed to have grown about three inches in just the past fifteen minutes.

"Can we make it a snowman of Amieva...? I would _really_ like to put off my inevitable by taking out some of my built up murderous intent on him," Tsuki sneered, talking of how one day she was going to lose her mind, and Rin was going to have to bail her out of the mental institution. Either that or Gaara would kill everyone and they'd go into hiding. Both of them would work.


	6. Chapter 5 Hahaha Taco

The lot of people had pretty much spent the entire day slacking off. Having snowball fights, going sledding, and even tossing people into more than a foot of snow was pretty much what they did the entire day.

"WOOT!! We shall go eat tacos," Xe shouted happily as they all had fell over from exhaustion after having the ultimate snowball fight.

"So that means we have to walk there, right?" Hoshiko complained as she buried her face into the snow. Kiba was complaining as well, and Akamaru had somehow found everyone there (he was currently jumping on Kiba's back).

"You know it," Neji answered with a huge smirk across his face, which kind of creeped everyone out. They weren't sure if it was an accomplishment to have him saying that, or if it was scary the _way_ he had said it.

"This is going to be the death of me," Hoshi mumbled as she picked herself up off of the snowy ground. Kakashi helped Xe up while blushing, and Itachi was glaring around suspiciously like someone was stalking him. Maybe there was someone stalking him, but no one else had noticed if there was.

"Taco. Taco. Taco!!! TACO!!!" Jewel shouted happily, seeing as how she was going to get more tacos from the taco bell a little farther down the road, maybe a mile away. _Maybe_. After about twenty minutes of trudging along, they wondered where the heck the taco bell was.

"WHERE FOR ART THOU, TACO BELL??" Jewel screamed dramatically, falling to her knees in the process. Rin was sipping on a mountain dew happily, while everyone turned toward her to look at her with strange looks on their faces...come to think of it, they were missing about half of their party...almost all the guys were gone.

"Where'd you get that?" Neko narrowed her eyes slightly at Rin as she continued to sip on the mountain dew-ness. She put on this huge smile as she took another big gulp.

"We passed the taco bell about ten minutes ago, and that's where everyone else is. Tsuki-onee-san noticed too, but she came along to watch," Rin told them sweetly as she pointed to Tsuki, who was drinking a Dr. Pepper. She had another drink that was currently being lugged around by the oblivious Hoshiko-baka, that was what her and Rin call the "Mountain Pepper" because "Dr. Dew" sounds too formal...yay suicides.

"WHAT?? YOU MEAN WE'VE BEEN WALKING FOR NOTHING FOR THE PAST TEN MINUTES??" Hoshi fumed. Rin and Tsuki began to cackle evilly. Xe was muttering about how some people are tacos and Kakashi was just grinning from ear to ear. The others were leering at Rin and Tsuki, but they were too busy laughing like crazy, insane people to see that. And then out of no where, they began a full out sprint back toward the taco bell, knowing very well that they were not going to be able to be caught because the others were kinda slow...except Xe and Kakashi...but they'd stay together. They were sure of it.

When Tsuki and Rin ran in through the front door of the taco bell, they both noticed that Naruto and Shino had joined their little party.

The owner of the taco bell, Gai-sensei, came out and announced merrily, "FREE TACOS TO MY YOUTHFUL STUDENTS!!" before running off in his green spandex uniform thing. Everyone else came through the door just in time for that to happen, and Jewel and Tsuki immediately chased after Gai-sensei.

"WAIT, SENSEI!! WE NEED YOU TO JOIN THE RIN-SAMA FANCLUB!!" Jewel yelled after him frantically as Tsuki was running with a pencil and a piece of paper in her hands that had a list of about twenty names on it.

"I TOLD YOU GUYS, I DON'T DESERVE A FANCLUB!! I'M NOT A GOOD PERSON!!!" Rin screamed after them in annoyance and then releasing a sigh. Tsukiko came back just a moment later with a completely straight face on.

"If you say that again, Rin-sama, I am going to kill myself," and with that she ran back to get Gai-sensei to sign the sheet. Rin looked taken aback for a moment, before starting to anxiously call after her about how she wouldn't _really_ do that, would she?

"I'M SORRY, TSUKI-ONEE-SAN, DON'T KILL YOURSELF!!" Rin cried as she began to run after Tsuki, Jewel, and Gai-sensei. Shino then started to randomly laugh like a maniac and he fell to the ground while doing so. Neji put on a exasperated face and then started to rub his temples as he tried to fight off a headache.

"Okay, which one of you put the laughing powder in his burrito?" Neji inquired, mumbling. Shino was now rolling around on the floor continuing to cackle like a mad man. Since, well, he probably secretly _was_.

"I AM NOT A CHEETO!!!" Naruto immediately shot back. That was his way, or rather Tsuki's way, of saying that he didn't do it. But what it really meant was, "_Me!! I'm it!! I SOOO DID IT!!_ "

"AH HAAAA!!!" Xe stood up and pointed at Naruto in a dramatic fashion, before accidentally tripping over the insane Shino and falling in a heap to the floor next to him. She looked around a little wildly, still on the floor, and then looked over to Shino, who had finally stopped laughing after about five minutes.

"Maybe if we're real quiet, they won't know we're here," she whispered as she tried to lay as still as a board on the floor. Shino didn't move but looked as if he might kill something...or someone. It was hard to tell really. But neither of them moved...people even came in and tripped over one of them or both of them. It didn't really matter, they still were tripped.

"Ah! This meeting is youthful!" Rock Lee bound in from the front door, barely dodging Xe as she reached up and tried to capture his foot in her hold so that she could make him fall on the floor.

"Evil spandex-wearing coconut head!!" She mumbled under her breath. Lee stood up straight and did his nice guy pose, teeth sparkling and thumb up. Shino had now gotten up off the ground and was walking back over to sit next to Naruto, but he rethought it on his way there. He took a slight turn and went to sit by Itachi and Neji, who were plotting on how they were going to take over the world again. So, naturally, Shino joined in on the conversation without anyone else really noticing.

Lee was having his daily rant about how everyone was so youthful and the youth was overflowing with the youthness. If that was even a word. Tsuki and Jewel came back with triumphant looks upon their faces, being able to catch up with the fast paced Gai-sensei and getting him to sign the official fan club form. Tsuki noticed that Rock Lee was standing right in front of her, and so she had a straight face.

"George Bush rocks compared to you," she hissed. Almost no one got this little comment, since a lot of the people there didn't realize who George Bush was. Rin sighed and mumbled something as Jewel started to laugh frantically and then randomly call out about how she wasn't crazy. Since she normally _didn't_ do that on a regular basis or anything. Shouting was suddenly heard from the said girl.

"YOU LIE!! BREAKING BENJAMIN IS _SO_ AN AWESOME BAND!!" Jewel bristled as her and Neko continued to have a debate about Breaking Benjamin and whether they were awesome or not...which they _are._

"Oh, and I have a quick announcement to make! Hoshiko and Kiba, I have changed your dancing styles. You will now be dancing the Rumba and the Paso Doble. Kakashi and Xe, you will now be dancing the Jive rather than the Merengue. So we'll have to practice that before the preliminaries...like..._now_," Rin smiled as they looked at her strangely. If only they knew the horrible training that she was going to force them to go through in the next couple of hours.

Rin was leading them back to the Xe's large house. They were going to use her basement as a training ground since they couldn't go inside the school. Her basement was about the size of two master bedrooms combined, and she had a TV and a couch, which they easily pushed out of the way so that it would be easier for them to practice. Her floor was carpeted, but Rin needed a little bit of resistance as they danced. Rin also ran into one of Xe's opposing rooms and pulled out a bag that she practically had to drag on the floor for it to go anywhere. She opened it up and pulled out ankle weights and wrist weights. This was going to be most fun.


	7. Chapter 6 Jive!

After she had given everyone the appropriate weights and everyone had changed into their practicing clothes, Rin glanced around the room and smiled softly before sauntering back over to the sound system so that she may instruct them with the correct and appropriate music. She had Neji re-work some of the songs that they had requested to dance to, so that it would be a lot easier for them to keep in time with the music. Rin clicked it to the first song, and a swingy bass and a soft drum began the song. She stopped it, and looked up to her clipboard for instructions.

"Hm, okay, we'll start with Xe and Kakashi first," she said, taking a quick glance up at the group and scanning her eyes over Kakashi and Xe. They both had a mixture of emotions about them.

"Don't choke," Kiba commented with a lopsided grin, and Hoshiko started cussing him out for being rude. He just rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath. She glared at him, but said nothing more.

Xe and Kakashi moved up and stood for a moment, waiting for instruction from Rin. Rin stared at the clipboard for a moment longer before looking up and sighing.

"Okay, I'm sorry, but you did not turn in a song request by the appropriate date, so you will be practicing with one I have given you until you do. Your dancing patterns will be the same, though," she continued as she motioned for Neji to go to the next track so that she could start their training.

She then appointed Itachi as the one to temporarily work the sound system. Neji walked over and placed a hand on her hip and his other one clasped her own.

"Get in position," Rin instructed, which Kakashi and Xe unsurely did. Rin took one last glance at the couple before her, and then nodded to Itachi to continue with the music.

"Oh, the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear  
And it shows them pearly white  
Just a jackknife has old MacHeath, babe  
And he keeps it, ah, out of sight"

Rin began to take a few rock steps, and then Chassed to the right and left, repeating this once before almost starting to do a quick swinging motion, and Xe and Kakashi were only moments behind.

"Ya know when that shark bites with his teeth, babe  
Scarlet billows start to spread  
Fancy gloves, oh, wears old MacHeath, babe  
So there's never, never a trace of red

Now on the sidewalk, huh, huh,  
Whoo, sunny morning, un huh  
Lies a body just oozin' life, eek  
And someone's sneakin' 'round the corner  
Could that someone be Mack the Knife?"

Neji twirled Rin up into a hold and she spun from his grasp, landing gracefully and spinning back into his arms. Surprisingly, with both his ninja skills and raw ball room dancing talent, Kakashi was able to pull off the move and because of Xe's grace and elegance, she too was able to execute the move.

"There's a tugboat, huh, huh, down by the river dontcha know  
Where a cement bag's just a'drooppin' on down  
Oh, that cement is just, it's there for the weight, dear  
Five'll get ya ten old Macky's back in town  
Now d'ja hear 'bout Louie Miller? He disappeared, babe  
After drawin' out all his hard-earned cash  
And now MacHeath spends just like a sailor  
Could it be our boy's done somethin' rash?"

Rin and Neji demonstrated another few Chasses and then did a series of spins in which their hands would meet briefly to push one another back in the other direction to of which they were going. They then held onto each other's right hand after a succession of three spins, and began to shimmy back so that Neji was walking backwards and Rin was walking forward. When they reached the back wall, Rin shoved Neji into it and pretended to slap him across the face twice.

As Kakashi and Xela followed, they were able to keep up with the Chasses about to what Rin and Neji had expected. But when it came to the spins, they were a bit behind because they had never had to do them before. They follow suit and without meaning to, Xe truly slapped Kakashi twice when they got to that point, but neither of them stopped the dance.

"Now Jenny Diver, ho, ho, yeah, Sukey Tawdry  
Ooh, Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown  
Oh, the line forms on the right, babe  
Now that Macky's back in town

I said Jenny Diver, whoa, Sukey Tawdry  
Look out to Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown  
Yes, that line forms on the right, babe  
Now that Macky's back in town...

Look out, old Macky's back!!"

As the final stages of the song came, Rin and Neji pretended to make up and then Rin did a back flip and Neji followed. She turned once she landed, and Neji took each of her hands and then she slid down and spun underneath him as he pulled her up in another quick motion. Right as the music was coming to a close, Neji picked Rin up and she did jazz hands.

Kakashi and Xe were following along well, until the point in which she had to do the spin beneath him. She seemed to have somehow gotten stuck on the floor.

"Well, I'm actually quite surprised. You followed all the way up to the end...I suggest that you don't actually slap Kakashi next time though, Xela. Practice makes perfect though," Rin couldn't help but crack a smile as Kakashi moved part of his mask to reveal the red handprint. Xe muttered that she was sorry a few times, and then poked the redness.

"OH MY NATHAN!! RIN, WHY ARE YOUR LEGS RED LIKE THAT?!" Hoshiko screamed while pointing dramatically at Rin. Rin blinked a few times, and Neji snickered at her.

"Huh...it seems I have suffered from the horrid thing called...rug burn..." Rin chuckled a little while Xe fell down onto the carpet and whined a little.

"Come on dammit, pumpkin bitch...time to get the fuck up!" Hoshi walked over and poked her with the tip of her shoe.

"Noooo the paaaiin is unbearabible! And the carpeet is so comfy!" Xe murmured back but the carpeting muffled some of it.

"Yay!" Jewel and Tsuki squealed and then joined her on the carpeting.

"Ummm...we'll be taking a five-minute break. After that point, it will be Hoshiko and Kiba's turn."


	8. Chapter 7 Accident

Everyone sat in utmost silence, almost afraid that something they would say could break the current ease that filled the room. Tsukiko, Jewel, and Xe all were content to just hug the carpet while Kakashi put ice on his face. Xe had knocked him one good. Rin paced through the room, carefully inspecting what she could of the little equipment she brought. Neji was standing by the stereo, looking impatient and rather irritated. The moment that five minutes was up, Rin beamed a gleaming smile in the direction of Kiba and Hoshiko, who didn't look all that thrilled to be going up again.

"All right, since I completely changed your dancing styles, we'll have to go over new steps, just like with Xe and Kakashi," Rin spoke a bit softer this time, stifling giggles that randomly decided to try to escape from her throat. She cleared her throat loudly, and then grinned.

"Now, before we begin, I would like to give you a basic overview of what you will be expecting. The Paso Doble originated from the bullfighters...yes, those who used the capes to make the bulls run at them," she stopped temporarily to take in Hoshi and Kiba's facial expressions, "and therefore, the male is the bullfighter and the female is his cape, dazzling the bull," she finished while chuckling softly. Kiba was snickering slightly, while Hoshiko's face was tinted red from the blood that had rushed up to her cheeks.

"What the french, toast?!" She muttered angrily while she waved her hand at Rin. "I'm not going to fucking be some cape for that perv!"

"Oh it's okay, love...you can be dominant in other things," Jewel added with a suspicious look to Kiba, who coughed and choked on air. They both got suddenly silent and, knowing them, weren't going to say anything else for a while. Neji threw a cape at Kiba, and put one on himself, causing Rin to giggle but immediately shut up when he threw her a hateful glance. Hoshiko did the same for Kiba, but he put on a sexy smile and that instantly shut her up with her cheeks stained red.

"WELL, before ANOTHER awkward silence breaks in, let's go ahead and start," instructed Rin quickly while giving a sideways glance to Neji, who rolled his eyes subtly. He clicked the button, looking rather annoyed once more and a tune of mariachi came on, hinting toward a country styled song. Kiba looked offended, but Hoshiko squealed in happiness. They swiftly got in position, and waited for Rin and Neji to begin their lesson.

"His name was Steve,

Her name was Gina,

You've never been here before have you?

They met at a bar called Cabo Wabo Cantina,

He was an insurance salesman from South Dakota,

She was a first grade school teacher Pheonix Arizona,

No, My first time here

They started dancing and it got real hot,

Then it spilled over to the parking lot,

One more tequila they we're falling in love,

One more is never enough!"

Neji stood triumphantly before them, bringing his cape around his shoulders as he did a complex set of cape twirls and spins. Finally, when it stopped and he pulled it out around Rin's shoulders, he tied it around her neck and then took her in a hold. He spun did quick turns and Rin followed, he spun her around and the cape twirled about her too, creating a graceful spin.

Kiba began the same routine, being able to execute the rotation almost perfectly with the cape, like Neji. It must have had something to do with his awesome ninja skills. Hoshiko was able to do only a single turn, because she didn't have a lot of gracefulness but that was something that they were working to improve.

"Don't bite off more than you can chew,

There's things down here the devil himself wouldn't do,

Just remember when you let it all go,

What happens down in Mexico,

Stays in Mexico

He woke up in the morning and he made

a little telephone call,

To check on his wife and his kids back

at home in Sioux Falls,

hey baby everything ok?

She hopped right in the shower with a heavy heavy mind,

What am I doing?

He knew it was the first time Gina

had ever crossed that line,

They walked down to the beach and started drinking again,

Jumped into the ocean for a dirty swim,

One more margarita they we're falling in love,

One more is never enough!"

Neji took Rin into a long set of strides, swaying back and forth, up and down. He spun Rin around again before allowing her to spin out from him. He fell to his knees as he slid back, while Rin continued to spin before coming to a stop and beginning to chasse back at him, the cape tucked between her fingers and she waved it strictly as she walked back to him. He jumped back up spinning her around once more, before breaking into promenades and a synchronized pattern around the available space. At the same point in time, they chassed to the right and then the left.

Kiba and Hoshiko looked a bit awkward and too stiff during the swaying strides, but overall didn't do a terrible job. As before, Hoshi was unable to spin as gracefully and was a bit clumsy as she spun out, nearly falling over. Kiba fell to his knees as he slid back, much the same motion as Neji. Hoshiko was unsure of the exact pattern Rin was doing her cape steps, but she tried to mimic what she could. The cape didn't flow as smoothly. Kiba spun Hoshi once more, also breaking into the promenades and the synchronized pattern that Neji and Rin were demonstrating. During the chasses, a snap was heard a bit loudly and Hoshiko winced, but it did not appear to be her shoes. And yet, she continued to dance.

"Don't bite off more than you can chew,

There's things down here the devil himself wouldn't do,

Just remember when you let it all go,

What happens down in Mexico,

Stays in Mexico

Oh Mexico

Waiting at the bar at the terminal gate,

She says 'Steve I gotta go, I'm going to miss my plane'

He said 'One more tequila before you climb on up,'

She said 'one more is never enough!'"

He jumped back up spinning her around once more, before breaking into promenades and a synchronized pattern around the available space. At the same point in time, they chassed to the right and then the left. Neji and Rin quickly went back to one another, and Rin collapsed on the floor in front of him, the cape around her shoulders as it covered her for the most part.

Kiba spun Hoshi once more, also breaking into the promenades and the synchronized pattern that Neji and Rin were demonstrating. During the chasses, a snap was heard a bit loudly and Hoshiko winced, but it did not appear to be her shoes. And yet, she continued to dance. Hoshiko did the same collapsing motion, but it looked a lot more...real, than just a show.

"Don't bite off more than you can chew,

There's things down here the devil himself wouldn't do,

Just remember when you let it all go,

What happens down in Mexico,

Stays in Mexico

Stays in Mexico,

Stays in Mexico,

Oh Mexico"

Neji grabbed Rin by the arm and drug her about ten feet across the floor, before encircling her on the floor where she disappeared almost completely under the cape as the song finished. Rin was whining under the cape slightly.

Kiba did the same, but Hoshiko wasn't as willing to move and she just crumpled onto the floor as soon as he let go, going into a ball herself. A closer inspection noted that her eyes were watering and her face was red from repressing something. She let out a soft moan, stifling most of it into the carpeting below her.

Tsuki flew to Hoshi's side in an instant, ripping Hoshiko's fingers off of her ankle and pressing her cold hands upon the swollen joint. Tsuki also removed the weights that were blocking her ankles. Jewel was already heading upstairs to get the first aid kit that Rin had promptly prepared for such an event. Xe crawled over to her too, trying to see what was the matter.

Kiba was already over her, caressing her face in his hands while he kissed away the few tears that were pouring from her eyes. She didn't bother cussing him out but she continued to try to cling to her ankle. Neji used his Byakugan to check the damage, and cringed at what he saw.

"Her tendon snapped as she was dancing," he whispered and began to massage his temples in an effort to rid himself of his headache. Rin looked at Hoshiko in horror and dropped down beside her, and told everyone else that had gathered around to stand back so that she could have a better look. Jewel came racing down with the first aid kit, handing it to Rin.

"We need to splint her ankle, and then get her to the hospital as fast as we can," she mumbled as she took out a pair of small wooden polls, gauze, and medical tape. She put the two splints on each side of Hoshi's ankle, wrapped the gauze around it carefully, and then applied the medical tape in gracious amounts. She slowly helped Hoshiko up, letting Hoshi balance on her.

"I've got her," Itachi said stoically, but in his eyes it was obvious that he was worried about her well being too. Everyone hurried ahead, opening doors and getting ready to leave. Rin whipped out her cell phone and dialed a number swiftly, waiting as the phone rang only twice before the person answered.

"Hello," a voice answered in a nice-guy kind of way that was also a little bit of gloat. Rin was relieved that it was who she wanted it to be.

"Gai-sensei, could you bring the van of youth by Xela's house, please? It's an emergency!" She whined into the phone lightly, trying to stress that it really was an urgent matter. She heard a chuckle on the other side of the phone.

"I'll be over there in one minute," and before she could say good-bye he hung up. Everyone waited patiently, pacing about. At exactly one minute after the phone call ended, a horn was heard outside of Xe's house. Rin opened the door and ushered everyone outside, running to open the large door to put Hoshiko inside. After everyone piled in, even if it were a bit squished and Hoshiko and Kiba were in the front seat with Gai, the van sped off at an almost inhuman rate. In less than four minutes, they were in the ER, and Kakashi was filling out the paperwork needed for Hoshi as she slept peacefully against Kiba's shoulder, every once in a while wincing if her ankle was hit against something or if she flexed her leg.

We crept into the ER examination room waiting for the nurse who was supposed to be taking a look at her to get her vitals and such, but one never arrived. About ten minutes of just waiting went by, before a lovely young woman with blond hair and fierce golden brown eyes walked into the room.

"Are you the party here with Jesabella Hoshiko Silver?" Her wise voice asked with a gruff tone. We all nodded yes to her answer.

"I'm Tsunade, I'll be in charge of the examination, if you will please, follow me," she murmured in an authoritative voice as she stepped out of the room and began to walk down a tan and white hallway that obviously led to the rooms where the doctors checked the patients. She explained on the way that they all would not be able to go into the room with her, and that she would prefer if they all wait outside, since Hoshi was clearly going to be staying the night at least.

So, as she examined Hoshiko carefully, everyone waited about as patiently as they could, every once in a while one of them would get up and pace. Only an hour went by though before Tsunade came out and said that she needed to run a few tests. The tests also took about an hour and Tsunade quickly sauntered back into the room, checking the tests carefully.

"Hoshiko-san, it appears that not only have you snapped your tendon, you have also dislocated your joint," Tsunade paused while staring surprised at one of the papers; her eyes quickly snapped up to Hoshi and they remained wide as she continued, "and this test reveals that...you're..." Tsunade was nearly speechless.


	9. Chapter 8 Hospitalized

"You're pregnant," Tsunade burbled in awe as she stared at Hoshi. Hoshiko's face became red and her eyes bulged from her head, her mouth open in a silent scream. But she soon found her voice.

"WHAT THE HELL?! HOW?! WHAT THE FUCK?! _WHEN_!! she continued to rant in the background like this for quite a while as Tsunade filled out admission forms for her cursing patient.

"Fucking would be right..." Tsunade mumbled under her breath as she walked out of the room with the forms, going to go inform the others about Hoshi's...conditions. She gave the forms to one of the receptionists, told her where to take the screaming panther, and then sauntered over to the people who were impatiently waiting for news of their friend.

"Well, she's...okay...over all," she threw a careful look in everyone's direction, unsure of how she was supposed to continue, "but there are a few things that we need to look at." Tsunade looked about suspiciously.

"First, her ankle has snapped tendons and also she has rolled it, dislocating it," her voice was steady, but she shifted her eyes back and forth across the group of people. "Which one of you is her dance partner?" No one was surprised that she had known who they were. They were, after all, the team that was supposedly representing them in the dance competition that was coming up quite soon. Kiba shakily rose his hand, keeping a wary eye on Tsunade's reaction to what he was doing. Her eyes narrowed on him.

"It's safe to say you're the father, then," she muttered pointedly, stroking her nails against the concrete wall. Kiba froze up and his face went pale, unsure if he had heard correctly. Everyone gawked at Tsunade with confused faces, and then stared at Kiba the same way. Even Gaara did, which was an amazing sight to behold.

"I'm the...what...?" Kiba asked dazed, but before he was able to receive an answer, someone bounded over to him and kicked him where the sun don't shine. He fell to the floor, doubled over and wincing at the sudden pain.

"_You..._" The person menaced seething, pointing an index finger at him accusingly. Hoshiko's vivid green eyes were stuck on the dog boy, seeming to pierce him with her infectious gaze. But she suddenly let out a scream and fell to the floor, clutching her leg in pain. A crutch that she had miraculously used to get this far was laying next to her, obviously discarded when she got close enough.

But she didn't let the abrupt pain stop her from damaging Kiba further though. Her fist quickly plummetted into Kiba's stomach seeing as how she had crawled her way over to him.

"YOU BASTARD!!" She screamed, tears rolling down her face as she continued to release her fury on him. Tsunade called for someone to get sedatives as Rin and Tsuki pulled Hoshi away from the numbing Kiba. Kiba was picked up by the rather reluctant Neji, helping him stand since he couldn't really do so himself.

A nurse holding a needle walked over to the group that had caused the scene. She had the needle pointing at the panther girl who was looking at it with wide and frightened eyes.

"This reminds me of something..." she muttered insanely as she tried to wrench herself from Tsuki and Rin's grasps, but found that she was unable to do so. Tsuki pinned her making her immobile so that the nurse had a clean shot straight into the vain in Hoshiko's upper right arm. Hoshi soon found that she wasn't able to keep her eyes focused on anything, and then her eyes shut as she fell limp in Rin and Tsuki's grasp.

Tsunade then lead the girls, whom were allowed to stay later because of the sudden incident, to where Hoshiko was going to be staying in the hospital. The boys were ordered to go home, and that Kiba would have to stay with one of them in case of a sudden mishap, such as a breakout of Hoshi.

"Who's gonna stay with her?" Xe asked as they all clambered into the room. It was like all hospital rooms, but a little more...childish. It had a few random happy colors that gave the room life, instead of the dull and rather annoying plane white that seemed to occupy the room most of the time.

"Tsuki and I will," Rin volunteered the both of them. Tsuki nodded firmly as she stole a glance at the sleeping girl that had been placed in the bed and under the covers. Xe and Jewel looked worried and unsure, but after a few moments both of them agreed to it reluctantly. When they checked out and took one last glance at the sleeping form of Hoshi, they left the hospital to go home and have a restless night they both knew was bound to come.

Tsuki pulled a chair over behind Rin and knocked it into her from behind, causing her to fall back into it in a lump. Tsuki then jumped onto the foot of Hoshiko's bed, staring at the unconscious black haired girl. Her hand gradually snuck out to grab onto Hoshi's I.V. tubing, staring at the clear liquid they had flowing into her with a trance-like look on her face. Rin was staring carefully at Tsukiko, but knew that she wouldn't do anything.

Time seemed to fade in and out, wavering a bit as it progressed. Sometimes it would go by like lightning, and other points in time it was like watching water boil with almost no heat. Tsuki would change positions and randomly mutter something...it would normally be something about Gaara or she would say that she loved both Hoshiko and Rin. Rin would reply to her of course, no matter what she said. At one point, they felt rather odd and began acting like idiots.

"NINETY-NINE BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE WALL! NINETY NINE BOTTLES OF BEER!!" Tsuki cried, spinning in a circle and falling to the floor in a fit of giggles. Rin was currently sitting in the chair upside down, staring under the bed.

"Tsuki..." She asked in a horrified whisper. This caused the said girl to crawl over to her with playful yet still curious eyes.

"Yes, Rin-onee-chan?" She asked with a vampiric smile. Rin stole a glance in her direction.

"Do you...believe in..." she put two fingers on either side of her head acting like they were horns, "the...boogeyman?" she alleged in a hushed voice. Tsuki's eyes were wide and believing.

"Only if he is Gaara. Yes," she answered with a sudden huge and drunk grin. Rin laughed happily, leaning forward only slightly so that she could peek up at Hoshi, who was still happily sleeping in an odd position, cuddled to one of the pillows that the nurse had provided.

Rin fell out of the chair upside down, then crawled under the bed and stared at it. Tsuki looked puzzled and grabbed a hold of Rin's foot, then chortled. Tsukiko picked herself up off the floor and pushed the chair next to Hoshi's bed, plopping herself down in the chair and resting her head on the bed in content.

The clock on the wall that lightly ticked said it was about a quarter to four in the morning. It would be just enough rest for the night if they were both to fall into a peaceful slumber now.


End file.
